1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator having an ice making device, and, more particularly, to a refrigerator having an ice making device to make ice.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a refrigerator includes several devices constituting a refrigeration cycle, and can keep food stored therein in a chilled or frozen state by use of cold air generated from the constituent devices of the refrigeration cycle. Among conventional refrigerators, a refrigerator disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 565621 is configured such that a refrigerating compartment, having a relatively high use frequency, is defined in an upper region of a refrigerator body and a freezing compartment, having a relatively low use frequency, is defined in a lower region of the body.
The conventional refrigerator includes a dispenser to allow a user to take out ice and water at the outside of the refrigerator without opening a refrigerating compartment door. Also, the refrigerator includes an ice making compartment defined separately in the refrigerating compartment. The ice making compartment incorporates an ice making device to make the ice to be discharged through the dispenser, and an ice transfer device disposed below the ice making device to receive and store the ice made by the ice making device and to transfer the ice to the dispenser when it is requested to discharge the ice through the dispenser.
The ice making device includes an ice making tray to make ice upon receiving water, an ejector to be rotated by a rotating force generated from an ice making motor so as to separate the ice made in the ice making tray from the ice making tray, and an ice-full state sensing lever having one end rotatably installed to a side of the ice making tray so as to determine whether or not an ice reservoir is filled with ice to a predetermined level and reaches an ice-full state. When the ice reservoir is full of ice, the operation of the ice making device can be stopped.
The ice transfer device includes the ice reservoir to store the ice fallen from the ice making device located above thereof, the ice reservoir having an outlet to discharge the ice to be discharged through the dispenser, and a spiral auger rotatably installed in the ice reservoir and adapted to be rotated by a rotating force generated from a transfer motor so as to transfer the ice toward the outlet.
In the above described conventional refrigerator, if the ice is separated from the ice making tray by the ejector, the ice falls down into the ice reservoir located below the ice making tray through a space between a side surface of the ice making tray and a wall surface of the ice making compartment. Therefore, there is a risk that the ice separated from the ice making tray is caught between the wall surface of the ice making compartment and the ice-full state sensing lever installed at the side of the ice making tray, thereby preventing a movement of the ice-full state sensing lever. This consequently causes a malfunction of the ice-full state sensing lever.